The ruleset is interesting (I love the task resolution) but it reduces crunch a little too much and really runs counter to some of the things the show was really about.

The show featured a ragtag group of scoundrels struggling to get by. In this game, they have nothing to worry about since there is no money really and they can just make items appear from thin air with "plot points." This really rubs me the wrong way. Don't get me wrong, I like rules lite systems. I also like that this game gets rid of HP bloat and Monty Hall itemization. However, for a game about a group of folk out in the verse just scraping by, there needs to be more emphasis on basic equipment loadouts, trading, job payouts vs fuel/food costs, etc.

With some basic mods (particularly to how assets/signature assets are handled) and some additions (hack in a some stuff from Stars Without Number), the rules can be good. I would also consider tossing in Savage Worlds-like card dealt intitiative since it leaves turn order up to nothing but DM fiat.

If you play as is, the game is fine as something to occaisionally jump into but it won't do as good as other systems when it comes to more open space campaigns.

Echoes of War – Thrillin’ Heroics is aimed at starters — and makes a couple missteps for it — but it couldn’t possibly have nailed the ‘Verse any better. It’s also surprisingly complete for an "introductory" product.

It has:

The first round of Firefly RPG PDFs, which includes the entire Serenity Crew as well as the adventures (“Episodes”) Wedding Planners, Shooting Fish, Friends in Low Places, and Freedom Flyer.
A pretty complete overview of the rules plus 12 Crewmember Archetypes, so you could easily play your own character aside from the crew of Serenity and handle any situation that would come up in an RPG.
The “look and feel” of the ‘Verse in all its glory: the scenarios veer across the spectrum from being playful hijinks to serious life-and-death gunfights, much like the show.
The open-ended nature of the scenarios make it easy to tailor, and most offer more than enough open space to stop them from feeling like a railroad, but still retain a clear storyline.
All scenarios offer (at least) an entire page of follow-up adventure ideas and loose plot threads to expand for future heists, cons, jobs, hose-jobs, and anything else the crew of a boat might face.

It’s missing:

Substantial GM advice outside of the scenarios. The scenarios are very good for this, but if you’re looking for a lot of “how to be a good GM” in the rules section of the book, you won’t find it there. (Hint: it’s in the Firefly RPG Core Rulebook, and it’s incredibly well done.)
Substantial character customization options. (Hint: Also in the Firefly RPG Core Rulebook, so this is hardly a criticism at all.)
More in-depth examples. While the scenarios provide examples of what the Crew (the Player Characters) might do and plenty of outcomes, there are times when a walk-through might have been useful (or clearer, in the cases where there is one). The big example is the boat race scene in Shooting Fish, where each leg of the race is open to an awful lot of options (grenades from other boats or the crowd, boarding parties, other crowd shenanigans, etc.). There’s a lot going on in that part of the scenario, and it just feels like a case where “more would be better.”
Another editing pass. Some of the “Way of Things” and “Lowdown” sections of various scenarios are awfully similar, and could have used a better way to convey the information more succinctly. It’s nice to have everything you need, but it’s hard to parse at the gaming table when it’s split over a couple different sections, both of which can get a bit wordy.

The adventures feature...

An arranged marriage (that can’t possibly workout) and a wedding attacked by pirates. (Wedding Planners)
A pedal-to-the-metal boat race with absolutely no rules against blowing up the other boats. (Shooting Fish)
A dirty profiteer and a scummy wolf-in-Shepherd’s clothing getting rich off indentured servitude…and they just crossed Mal’s old war buddy, Monty. (Friends in Low Places)
A mechanic with a dark history who just wants to be free…but faces a jilted lover, a bad-ass bounty hunter, and an Alliance Major on the road to freedom. (Freedom Flyer)
And all of these have tons of room for your Crew to get as personally involved as they ever could…for better or worse.

It'd be really handy if the Character and Ship sheets were separate sheets. I like to keep digital copies of my characters' sheets in an editable PDF format, but it's a bit weird that it's attached to a ship sheet as well.

Excellent book and worth the price. You can read many stories by taking different paths through your choices. Well worth the discounted price. I cheated by reading the endings of several stories, Ste-Ka's choices (actually yours) lead to different ends, all have some satisfaction, but a couple are wonderful ends to his story.
Choose wisely young prince.

I was really excited when I heard that award-winning game designer Robin Laws was writing a five-adventure story arc for one of my favorite games, the 'Firefly' RPG. For those of you who may not be familiar with Mr. Laws, he has many fine games to his credit, but is probably best know for his book about storytelling, "Hamlet's Hit Points," which deconstructs several famous works of fiction (including the titular Sakespearian play) to show how their pacing set the story's tone. This book really shook things up in the professional writing and game publishing communities-- and its author was turning his expertise towards one of MY favorite games!!! I was ecstatic.

The adventures in "Ghosts in the Black" are great, bearing Robin Laws' unmistakable stamp-- but they also made me realize how good most of the other published adventures for the 'Firefly' line are! All totaled, there is one adventure in the core rulebook, four adventures in the "Echoes of War" supplement, two adventures in "The Smuggler's Guide to the Rim," two adventures in "Things Don't Go Smooth," and one adventure only available online in PDF format-- so, with the addition of the five adventures in "Ghosts In the Black," there are now a whopping FIFTEEN published adventures for the 'Firefly' game, and most of them maintain the same high standards that Robin Laws generally attained in this book. Not bad for an independent game with only five titles in print, eh?

To avoid spoilers, I'm not going to go into adventure details in this review. I will, however, say a few words about each in turn.

In "Six Cylinders Make a Right," the crew is more or less hired to commit an act of revenge for events which took place years ago. In my opinion this adventure, which sets the other events in this book in motion, is the least compelling adventure in the book. Stories about providing an act of vengeance for somebody else aren't quite as compelling as stories which engage player characters in a more visceral way. This isn't really THEIR story; they're simply somebody else's instruments. But this is easily enough rewritten so that the target double-crossed the players, and instead of employing them directly, the story's protagonist is helping them gain their own revenge. Not a disaster, but still, I expected more from somebody with Robin Law's resume in the gaming industry.

"Prisoner 3012Y," on the other hand, has one of the best premises I've ever seen in a roleplaying game scenario. The players are hired to deliver a Hannibal-esque serial killer to an Alliance prison-- what can possibly go wrong? I still had to fiddle with this adventure a bit before I was completely satisfied with it, but this adventure was much more in line with my (high) expectations.

"Tombstone Bullets and a Graveyard Mind" knocked it out of the park AGAIN. In this adventure, the crew discovers something that had been lost since the Unification War, and in the middle of a backwater range war they're forced to take an ethical responsibility for that discovery. ...What's that you say? Your crew ain't exactly the 'ethical' sort? No worries-- I think I forgot to mention that there's also an enormous treasure at stake.

"The Hellhound Trail" fell into the 'good, not great' category. This adventure is essentially a treasure hunt-- a shot in the dark, with Alliance agents in hot pursuit. While I thought the adventure itself was fine enough, this story requires the storyteller to sustain a sense of tension for an extended period, and this can be difficult with a lot of roleplaying groups. With some preparation-- and a little bit of fiddling-- the storyteller should be able to keep the crew engaged.

"The Big Dark" is a suitable climax for a story with such an epic arc, with one slight spoiler coming-- please skip ahead if you plan on playing, although I'll try to keep things a bit vague anyway. It turns out that the players' goal-- the thing they've been pursuing-- isn't exactly what they were previously led to believe it to be. I found this to be a bit anticlimactic, but it was easily fixable by altering the 'rewards' offered at the story's conclusion.

Anyway, I had big expectations for this supplement. These expectations were mostly, but not entirely, met. However, if you're looking for good 'Firefly' adventures, or ESPECIALLY if you need a good campaign to run, "Ghosts in the Black" is well worth picking up.

"Things Don't Go Smooth" is an essential product in the 'Firefly' RPG product line. It's a must-have for 'Firefly' storytellers, in particular. I strongly recommend getting this supplement after picking up a copy of the rules (available in either the core rulebook or the "Echoes of War" supplement-- see my reviews) and after acquiring the "Smuggler's Guide to the Rim." While those titles will expand the rules set you're playing with, this book focuses on dirty tricks for the storyteller to use when challenging a crew.

The first section in this supplement deals with Antagonists-- recurring villains to oppose and annoy the crew across one or more complete story arcs in an extended 'Firefly' campaign. This part of "Things Don't Go Smooth" covers how to create an effective Antagonist, how to conceal their identities and obscure their true role in things, and even how to expand upon established Antagonists so that they can continue to oppose even the most experienced crews. Best of all, this section includes examples of five complete Antagonists who are ready to drop into your existing game.

The next section of "Things Don't Go Smooth" introduces the idea of Rivals-- not necessarily villains (though they can certainly be villainous), but more like stiff competitors who aim to make the crew work overtime for their pay. Once again, this supplement contains game stats and descriptions for four different Rival groups which can be thrown at your crew with little modification.

The next broad category of opposition presented in "Things Don't Go Smooth" is referred to as 'the Unexplained.' The Unexplained are elements of mystery which can recur periodically throughout a long campaign, possibly even forming the basis for their own story arc at some point. In keeping with previous sections of this book, the section on the Unexplained present several fully-fleshed examples which can be used to intrigue your players right away. Best of all, this section of the book finally contains the rules for REAVERS!!!

There are several more chapters containing GM tips and suggestions, and these are as good as I've seen in any roleplaying supplement over the years, but particularly useful for running games in the 'Firefly' setting.

Finally, "Things Don't Go Smooth" concludes with two fine adventures, which also include brief chance encounters with some of the Antagonists, Rivals, and Unexplained phenomena from previous chapters. These encounters don't necessarily establish those NPC's in recurring roles, although their appearances here easily allow storytellers to reintroduce them in future adventures if desired.

All in all, "Things Don't Go Smooth" places a rather nifty set of tools into a 'Firefly' storyteller's hands. This supplement is well worth having.

If you've never played the 'Firefly' RPG before, you need to start by picking up a copy of the rules, which are available in two different products. I'll briefly describe each of those below. After you've acquired the rules, though, the "Smuggler's Guide to the Rim" is probably the next book in the product line that you should pick up. I'll explain why below.

First, a word about the 'Firefly' rules. These are available in two different books: the game's core rulebook and the "Echoes of War" supplement. "Echoes of War" contains most of the basic rules mechanics found in the core rulebook, plus four complete adventures in which players are assumed to play characters from the TV show or one of several "character archetypes" presented (although the adventures can be run with the players' own characters, if desired). The core rules, on the other hand, add a detailed system for character and ship creation, information on the planetary systems of the 'Firefly' setting, GM advice for running longer campaigns, and a number of additional rules that you'll want to have if you love this setting and system as much as I do.

As I mentioned earlier, once you have a copy of the rules in one of these two books, the "Smuggler's Guide to the Rim" is probably the next item you should pick up. Here's why. This supplement presents the only major rules expansion to the 'Firefly' RPG, in the form of rules for character reputation-- and these rules greatly expand upon the 'feel' of the television series which this game already captures so well. In the 'Firefly' RPG, reputation allows your character to have some standing with certain segments of 'verse society, from the underworld to corporations, or from Browncoat rebels to senior members of the Alliance Parliament. Even better, these rules allow your character to have poor standing with many of these same groups. Essentially, the reputation rules in this book expand the characters' roles beyond their own crew and the small list of contacts that they may have on the ground; these rules give them a defined place in the 'verse, making them a part of it.

The second section of this book-- the "Shepherd's Run"-- details a nav route favored by smugglers and criminals, including detailed settings and NPC's for eight world along that run. This section is incredibly useful for players and storytellers alike, giving players a place to hang their hats and storytellers a number of setting for future adventures. Since the system information in this book utilizes the new reputation rules, it's also easy for all parties to know where they might expect a warm welcome from the locals-- and where they should plan for a hasty exit, just in case.

Finally, the "Smuggler's Guide to the Rim" continues the product line's amazing run of solid published adventures. Two ready-to-run adventures complete the material that it contains.

The "Smuggler's Guide" is a must-have for 'Firefly' gamers. If you're a roleplaying enthusiast who enjoys the game, this title is something you really ought to add to your game library.

The 'Firefly' RPG is a great game with a strikingly different design philosophy from many other RPG's (and it's also worth mentioning that the game mechanic used in the 'Firefly' RPG is significantly different from the system used in the 'Serenity' RPG a few years ago, also published by Margaret Weis Productions). In fact, this game system is so different from most other roleplaying games that many experienced gamers struggle a bit with its basic concepts, while people new to roleplaying often 'get' it almost immediately. Essentially, the difference is that die rolls drive the game's narrative-- creating character advantages or complications in the process which can become major plot elements in their own right-- instead of simply determining success or failure and then leaving it to the GM to weave that result into his or her existing narrative. This very slight tweak does a couple of interesting things. First, the prospect of gaining complications actually makes the game better-- don't ask me how, but the game just seems to get more fun as your character gets hosed by multiple complications. This is the thing that veteran players seem to have the most difficulty with when they play 'Firefly' for the first time, but if you've ever seen the TV show, it makes perfect sense: the show is at its best when things don't go as planned. You don't get to be a big damn hero unless you face unexpected wrinkles and complications, and building random setbacks into the game somehow tends to make characters all the more epic. This runs against the grain of most gamers' previous game experiences, since the norm in roleplaying games is to try to stack the deck so that your character always has a winning hand. The other thing that this mechanic does is that the process of assigning assets and complications through gameplay gives the players a degree of agency within the storyteller's overall narrative, which isn't as disruptive as it might sound, but also invests players in the way that story develops and unfolds. This system has a unique feel to it, making roleplaying a much more collaborative experience, but admittedly it isn't for everyone. People who take a very analytic, numbers-oriented approach to roleplaying-- experiencing it as a game-- will probably like it less than narrative- or character-driven players who primarily see roleplaying as a story.

Because of this "not for everyone" factor, it's worth noting that another product in this game line-- "Echoes of War"-- contains most of the basic rules mechanics found in the core rulebook, plus four complete adventures in which players are assumed to play characters from the TV show (but can be run with the players' own characters, if desired). Picking up "Echoes of War" is a great way to give the game a try without too much of a financial investment. The core rules, on the other hand, add a system for character and ship creation, information on the planetary systems of the 'Firefly' setting, GM advice for running longer campaigns, and a number of additional rules that you'll want to have if you love this setting and system as much as I do.

Every now and then an RPG for a media franchise comes out which really captures the flavor of that setting. The 'Firefly' RPG does this almost effortlessly, with rules which make it seem like the 'verse is out to get you sometimes. Those are also the times when your players will get to be big damn heroes. Do yourself a favor and pick up the 'Firefly' game, so that you can do a job, get paid, and keep flying.

Let me start out by explaining what this game is, so that you know what you'll be getting for your dollar. "Echoes of War" contains basic rules for the 'Firefly' RPG, stats for the characters from the TV show, and four complete adventures for the game. In short, it contains everything your crew needs to do a job, get paid, and keep flying.

The 'Firefly' RPG itself is a great game, with strikingly different gaming philosophy than you see in most other RPG's. It's also worth mentioning that the game mechanic used in the 'Firefly' RPG is significantly different from the system used in the 'Serenity' RPG a few years ago (which was also published by Margaret Weis Productions). This system is different enough from most other roleplaying games, in fact, that experienced gamers often struggle a bit with its basic concept, while people new to roleplaying often 'get' it almost immediately. Essentially, the difference is that die rolls drive the game's narrative-- creating character advantages or complications in the process which can become major plot elements in their own right-- instead of simply determining success or failure and leaving it to the GM to weave that result into his or her existing narrative. This does a couple of interesting things. First, the prospect of gaining complications actually makes the game better-- don't ask me how, but the game just seems to get better and better the more your character gets hosed by multiple complications. This is the thing that veteran players seem to have the most difficulty with when they play 'Firefly' for the first time, but if you've ever seen the TV show, it makes perfect sense: the show is at its best when things don't go as planned. You don't get to be a big damn hero unless you face unexpected wrinkles and complications, and building random setbacks into the game somehow tends to make characters all the more epic. This runs against the grain of most gamers' experience set, since in other games players try to stack the deck so that their characters always have the winning hand. The other thing that this mechanic does is that the process of assigning assets and complications through gameplay gives the players a degree of agency within the storyteller's overall narrative, which isn't as disruptive as it might sound, but also invests players in the way that story develops and unfolds. This system has a unique feel to it, making roleplaying a much more collaborative experience, but admittedly it isn't for everyone. People who take a very analytic, numbers-oriented approach to roleplaying-- experiencing it as a game-- will probably like it less than narrative- or character-driven players who primarily see roleplaying as a story.

That "not for everyone" quality is part of what makes "Echoes of War" such a great way to experience the 'Firefly' RPG for the first time. The buy-in price for this product (currently $12.99) is relatively cheap for a roleplaying product. While "Echoes of War" doesn't contain the full rules set, it's still more than just a quickstart adventure featuring a streamlined version of the system. Everything you need to play the game is contained within these covers-- and with four complete adventures included, you and your gaming friends ought to have plenty of material to cover to decide whether this game is for you.

The adventures themselves are above-average, with fully fleshed-out NPC's and settings and enough background information provided that the GM is well-prepared to handle situations which don't go quite as expected. As the title suggests, the adventures in "Echoes of War" are all built around the theme of how the Unification War marked and continues to haunt each of the cast members from the TV show. Since they're written for players and storytellers who may not be familiar with the game's full rules set, these adventures also do a great job of suggesting how to apply the game's rules to any number of circumstances which might pop up while playing them.

Browncoats unite! This product is a great way to try out one of the best games around right now, allowing you and your players to step into one of television's greatest science fiction settings ever. So pick it up, do a job, get paid, and keep flying today!

This book dose not disappoint. This is a great uses of the cortex system. It is newbie friendly, but has deep roots. This is a great way to introduce new players to Cortex, or even RPGs. Give this a try, it won't let you down.

Gives a very good concise explanation of the rules. The pregenerated characters show the feel of the setting. I've used it to run games; however in my campaigns, magic users are evil . Clerics and Paladins try to convert them and or stop them.

The idea is helpful; however, the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Printing out the sheet itself isn't intuitive as my group and I have gone through a fair amount of paper and ink at personal expense trying to get a complete sheet out of this pdf. Generally, unless we print it in bluescale, we get fragments of the sheet, consistently. You can't save the data (at least we could'nt, our reader programs would'nt allow for any changes to be saved to the document) so you're literally left looking at colored ink (if you're lucky and it works after re-printing and tweaking the settings back and forth enough to appease the file).

Ultimately, we just hand write down what we need and reference the book.

If you've had a different experience, more power to you. I'm glad someone has.